1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to toy flying saucers, and more particularly, to the incorporation of air foils integral with the annular body to facilitate saucer stabilization during flight.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Toy flying saucers which incorporate motor driven propellers to induce air flow vetically downward through a central opening within an annular saucer body to provide lift to the saucer body have enjoyed popularity within the past few years. Such flying saucer toys are the subject of a number of patents including U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,949,693 to McRoskey; 3,394,906 to Rogers; 3,477,168 to Tordglen, Jr.; and 3,568,358 to Bruce. Each of these flying saucer toys has involved an annular body defining a central vertical opening having mounted therein a model airplane engine or similar motor for driving a shaft in rotation coaxial with the annular body and the central opening and supporting a propeller for rotation within the opening of the annular body, and wherein, in some manner, the annular body incorporates a second propeller or fins fixed to the body which effect stabilization to the flying saucer toy by causing a slow rotation of the annular body in a direction opposite to that of the propeller.
Further, attempts have been made to influence the flight of such toy aircraft by causing the central opening within the annular body to assume a cylindrical shape or conical shape which either diverges or converges in the direction of air flow through the central opening. In some flying saucer toys, by enlarging the stabilization fins to the point where such fins which either project radially within the central opening of the annular flying saucer body, or radially outwardly of the body, act as major lift producing devices due to their rotation in a direction opposite to that of the propeller inducing the primary lift force, to favorably influence both lift to the aircraft and stabilization of the aircraft during such flight.
In order to create an annular body of some size but of low mass, U.S. Pat. No. 3,568,358 employs a hollow annular body of relatively thin wall construction. It is to this type of flying saucer toy that the present invention is directed, and the invention constitutes an improvement which improves the lift capability of the aircraft while maximizing the stabilizing and spin producing characteristics of these elements.